The New Photo Editor Software by ON1 opens fast and there is no need to import any images. All the images remain where they are (in their native folder on your computer).

This is a delight compared to Adobes’ Lightroom which requires you to import images for processing/editing/cataloging/exporting.

Okay, so getting your photos into ON1 Photo Raw 2017 is a piece of cake. Let’s work on a sample image and see what ON1 Photos can do to our photos (in this case RAW we are using a RAW image we took in Venice).

This Venice picture is not very impressive. The sky is overexposed and the buildings and the canal look rather dull.

Original RAW Image (our sample image of Venice, looks rather dull)

Inside the ON1 RAW 2017 Photo editor, on the very right side, we have 5 modes:

After switching into the Develop mode we find some basic adjustments we can make to tone & color.

But there is more. By clicking on the SHOW MORE button you will find 10 more adjustments:

Black & White

Color Adjustment

Curves

Glow

Noise Reduction

Sharpening

Skin Retouching

Split Tone

Transform

Vignette

On the left, you have a crop, adjustment brush, adjustable gradient, eraser, retouch brush, and zoom tool function.

In our sample images, we are using the adjustable gradient to reduce the exposure of the sky and add some more saturation and reduce the temperature (to make more blue out of the sky and to highlight the clouds).

Next, we switch back to the overall settings and adjust the overall vibrancy of the image. We go almost all the way up to 95% to make those colorful Venice facades pop.

Haze -75% makes the sky and the water look stronger. Then we added the Sharpening > Screen Filter and we are done.

You may find the image “too strong” now or not “realistic enough”. Of course, that’s everybody’s personal and subjective taste, but one thing I guess we can all agree upon: the new image we just created with this easy-to-use photo editing software is much better than our original image!

Just see yourself and compare the original image with the image we just edited with ON1 Photo Raw 2017:

Original Image

After Editing with ON1 Photo Raw

Exporting your RAW image (or other formats like jpg) is easy. Remember how painful it is to share your image with Lightroom to social media (you need plugins etc. to make this work). Not so with ON1 Photo RAW. Just click the share icon in the bottom right and select Twitter.

And remember how painful it is to share your image with Lightroom to social media (you need plugins etc. to make this work). Not so with ON1 Photo RAW! Just click the share icon in the bottom right and select the Twitter icon.

P.S. We also love Luminar by Macphun (great for editing photos on your MAC), the only thing which Luminar is still missing (compared to ON1 Raw) is the image catalog function (and Luminar is not available for Windows users yet).

So for now, ON1 RAW 2017 is probably the best option if you use a Windows or if you don’t already have a photo catalog software like Lightroom. Or you may like the speed and ease-of-use of ON1 (ON1 RAW is very fast even when browsing through thousands of photos!).

Photo RAW 2017.5 Update Screenshots & Videos

1. Lens Correction

The New Lens Correction Tool lets you pick a lens profile. Most of the lenses are already stored in the Photo RAW software database. You can however also do manual lens corrections. The adjustments include:

Distortion

Color Fringe

Purple

Green

Fall-Off (Similar to Vignetting in Lightroom)

Amount

Midpoint

On1 Photo Raw vs. Lightroom: Lens Correction

Lightroom already has a lens correction function and as of now, it seems that Adobe’s Lightroom has a large database of stored lenses (e.g. our Canon EF 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM was recognized in Lightroom, but not in On1 Photo Raw new 2017.5 version).

2. Compare Mode

The Compare View (just select few images in the browse mode and click “C”) lets you easily compare multiple images side-by-side. This is ideal for comparing the sharpness of multiple images and select the best shot (you can zoom in multiple pics at the same time).

3. Details Pane

The Details Pane is another valuable On1 Photo Raw 2017.5 Update. You can do the following adjustments:

Sharpening

Amount

Masking

Noise Reduction

Luminance (with detail variation adjustment)

Color (with detail variation adjustment)

4. Improved Search

In the Poto Raw 2017.5 Update, under the Filters Pane, you now will find advanced search functionalities. Advanced Search includes:

What We Don’t Like About Advanced Search

When searching for the camera model it shows a full list of camera models, but ideally, it should only show cameras which are being used by the stored photographs. Also, in the case of search by aperture value, for example, there seems to be no option to select aperture f/3.5.

So the advanced search functionality still needs some fine tuning by Photo On1.

5. Clone Stamp

The Clone Stamp Tool lets you erase unwanted objects or lines in an image. Also, like the name suggests, you can clone stuff.

Moreover, you can adjust the size, feather strength and opacity of the clone tool.

6. Stacking Presets

Stacking Presets, like the name suggests, lets you easily stack together multiple presets, without losing the previously applied preset settings/adjustments.

7. Lightroom Migration Assistant

The Lightroom Migration Assistant lets you migrate your photos from Lightroom to Photo Raw 2017.5 without losing any adjustments (including the metadata). This Lightroom Plugin which installs automatically when installing Photo Raw 2017.5 is very useful if you frequently want to switch between Lightroom and ON1 Photo Raw.

8. Improved Preset Managment

With the new On1 Photo Raw 2017.5 Version it is now possible to delete and rename preset categories as well as export categories for sharing and back-up.

We are a team of enthusiast photographers crafting every piece of content to help our readers.
The PhotoWorkout Team is always curious about the latest photography gear, post-processing software, up & coming photographers, and amazing photos from around the world. Stay tuned for more to come ;-)

6 COMMENTS

I wanted so much to like this software. I used it several time thinking that I will manage. But no, it is too buggy (last version), many things does not work smoothly. And the results are often on the ‘exaggerated’ part. The rendering is more like if was made from gadget software bought 20$ on the net. Like the picture you shared, I know it is test dependent, but for me it looks like more an over processed gadget.

I am using Lightroom since many years. It served it purpose but I found a bit stuck inside the not to much involving LR eco-system. The catalog(s) management is also a pain. Wanted to try something else. Capture One is on the top yet, and On1 Photo raw failed completely to pass the test of possible LR replacement, so many bugs, poor render and missing features yet. I have found workaround to fit LR to my needs and I am kind of stuck with VSCO presets that exists only in LR. I guess On1 can be useful to occasional amateur photographers who need to (over)process their photo quickly. And I guess it is the goal. On the On1 website I found almost all the processing example horrible to my test but can impress some color-saturated aficionados. Like a strong Californian red wine that gives you everything at the first test, explose in your mouth with hundred of flavors and then appear disgusting at a second swallow.

Anyone who thinks On1 is designed for “Amature” use, has either never used it (And works for Adobe) or has barely, and I mean barely, even bothered to give it a full run through. Bugs? Yes, there were a few, however, On1’s tech team has been FAST to deal with any and all bug issues. Good luck getting any viable service help from Adobe. Adobe’s tech service, from my experience, has always stank. Having said that, these so-called “Bug” issues with On1 Photo Raw 2017 are nonexistent anymore. None that I have seen since mid March of 2017 anyway on my computer. We all know how programs run. The better the computer, the better computer hogs like On1, ALR and PS CC run. In all fairness, I didn’t warm up to On1 initially and I did hem and haw over it for several months after trying it before buying it. Because I too have used ALR for more than a decade and there are many things I love about ALR. But, after giving On1 an extensive trial run, it’s become my go-to program for editing. I also love the fact that I get all these free, awesome presets sent via email on a monthly basis with the On1 Loyalty Program. I do still use PS CC for some of the more complex layering so I will never get rid of that Adobe program unless On1 can make it’s equal, but I do love the fast integration of pretty much everything and anything you want to do with a photo from basic editing to substantial post processing in the On1 Photo Raw 2017 version. It’s far more “User” friendly. Period. If that is a problem for some, then yep, there is always ALR for those who don’t mind paying for on an annual subscription. You will never own the product. I have a problem with that alone (Other issues aside). So I gave up my ALR subscription late last year. What some hardcore ALR users seem to have a problem with is the fact that ALR has been the “Industry Standard” for so long they have a hard time believing sooner or later it will meet it’s match (Or better.). We all have to face the fact that programs which have been around for a long time like ALR, Corel or Capture One are not “Break through” technology programs anymore. Many, especially ALR and Corel, are based on older photo editing technologies that every once in awhile, get’s a little oil change and then thrown back out into photo editing society for an astronomical price. So, yes, comparable competition can and will come along eventually. It’s inevitable. ALR will more than likely not be the “Industry Standard” forever. Not so long as technology grows and continues to expand further into the vast ocean of our ever changing photographic world. Cheers and shoot on my friends!

Nick, I have to disagree. Not only is their new update 2017.5 buggy has hell, the underlining development of the software is sub standard. For example their support specialist “highly recommend utilizing the sidecar file option to preserve your changes rather than the database option” but the sidecar setting is not the programs “Default” option. Thanks for sharing the “highly recommended” option after my database was deleted when upgrading the software.

You read that correctly… On1 has a option to delete the previous version when upgrading the software. Guess what? this deleted all my previous adjustment settings. Why have this destructive option in the upgrade path?

I thought not a big deal, I see the database files, so I imaging they have a database restore option. Well they don’t because On1 developed their Photo Raw software to utilize a “Flat Database” not a relational database. which means ZERO restore functionality. Their support team suggested I run a Time Machine backup to restore the files, after sending numerous support tickets they never replied to (waited five days for their reply)

A Quick Update with regards to previous comments: We have updated this blog post (on 8 June 2017) and the New & Updated Version of ON1 Photo RAW (2017.5) is not available for download / special price. We have covered these major updates in this blog post. We look forward to your comments and feedback. And as always, PhotoWorkout.com readers can use Coupon Code “onone15” for additional 15% off.